A last-minute attempt by Dragonair to stop a landmark public inquiry over Cathay Pacific Airways' bid to resume services to the mainland failed last night after its application for permission to launch judicial review proceedings against the Air Transport Licensing Authority (Atla) was refused.
As the Atla tribunal, the first such public hearing in a decade, got under way yesterday, Dragonair continued its efforts to have the proceedings stopped.
But the airline's attempt to halt the hearing by launching a legal action challenging decisions made by the chairman of Atla was rejected by High Court judge, Mr Justice Michael Hartmann.
A Dragonair spokeswoman said the airline was now reviewing its options with its lawyers.
Earlier during the Atla hearing, lawyers for the two airlines outlined radically contrasting scenarios of Hong Kong's future as an aviation hub and gateway to the mainland if Cathay's licence application to fly three lucrative mainland routes were approved.
Dragonair's senior counsel Alan Hoo told the tribunal that its very survival as a viable business was in danger if Cathay's application were approved.